Sponsors (4)
The bill strengthens integrity and consumer confidence in imported organic feed through defined import criteria, annual residue testing, and reporting, at the cost of higher compliance and administrative burdens, potential trade and privacy risks, and the possibility of higher prices for some buyers.
Consumers of organic animal products and livestock producers will be more likely to receive genuinely organic feed because the bill requires annual residue testing and excludes shipments with prohibited residues from organic sale upon detection.
Importers, supply-chain participants, and consumers gain greater transparency and confidence because the bill mandates annual public reporting of residue testing results and methods for covered imported organic feedstuffs.
Organic farmers, certifying agents, and regulators get clearer, more actionable oversight data (risk-based, regularly updated testing protocols and residue reports) to identify contamination problems and direct corrective action.
Importers, exporters, and small feed sellers may face higher costs, delays, and lost shipments because of required NOP import certificates, annual testing, and the immediate exclusion of contaminated shipments—raising business risk and potentially higher prices for consumers.
Taxpayers and USDA will incur increased administrative and testing costs to produce, compile, and enforce the required annual residue testing and reporting.
Public reporting of testing methods and results could expose proprietary testing approaches, harm business reputations from isolated positives, and create trade/privacy risks for exporters and certifying agents.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires USDA to annually test imported bulk organic feedstuffs, maintain a confidential list of tested items, report results to Congress, and bar contaminated shipments from organic sale.
Official title: Require the Secretary of Agriculture to submit to Congress a report on residue testing for all imported organic feedstuffs shipped in bulk, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 9, 2025 by John Peter Ricketts · Last progress April 9, 2025
Requires the USDA to test imported bulk organic feedstuffs for prohibited residues every year, keep an internally maintained list of which imported feedstuffs are subject to annual testing, and report testing methods, frequency, results, standards, and enforcement actions to Congress within 180 days of enactment and annually thereafter. Shipments found to have prohibited residues above NOP-allowed levels (or equivalent State program levels) must be excluded from organic sale and cannot be sold, labeled, or represented as organic.